Recent reports indicate that at least 23,746 patients died in Canada while waiting for surgeries or diagnostic scans in the year from April 2024 to March 2025. This figure has sparked significant debate regarding the efficiency and accessibility of Canada's healthcare system. Notably, this number does not include data from Alberta and some parts of Manitoba, which may affect the overall statistics
.

In previous years, the number of deaths while waiting for medical care has also been high, with reports indicating at least 17,032 deaths in the year from April 2022 to March 2023
. The ongoing issue of long wait times for medical procedures continues to be a critical concern in Canadian healthcare policy discussions.